Brian Sternberg
Encyclopedia
Brian Sternberg is a former world record holder in the Men's Pole vault
. He set one of his records on May 25, 1963, in Modesto, California
jumping 16 feet, 7 inches using a new technology fiberglass pole. His final record of 5.08 m was set on June 7, 1963.
He graduated in 1961 from Seattle's Shoreline High School, he won the 1963 NCAA pole vault title and broke the world record in the event twice.
Tragically he was unable to go onto pursue a long and successful career in the pole vault as five weeks after his Modesto jump, while training in Hec Edmundson Pavilion in preparation for a trip to Russia, he landed badly on his neck while trampolining and was left a quadriplegic. The injury was severe enough for his doctors to be concerned for his survival.
In 1996, in a successful intervention to improve his quality of life he underwent surgery in Germany, performed by Dr. Harry Goldsmith. The operation on his spinal cord has allowed Sternberg to breathe deeper and easier, to speak more clearly and in greater volume and to remain upright for longer periods which has had the effect of improving his feeling of well being.
Pole vault
Pole vaulting is a track and field event in which a person uses a long, flexible pole as an aid to leap over a bar. Pole jumping competitions were known to the ancient Greeks, as well as the Cretans and Celts...
. He set one of his records on May 25, 1963, in Modesto, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
jumping 16 feet, 7 inches using a new technology fiberglass pole. His final record of 5.08 m was set on June 7, 1963.
He graduated in 1961 from Seattle's Shoreline High School, he won the 1963 NCAA pole vault title and broke the world record in the event twice.
Tragically he was unable to go onto pursue a long and successful career in the pole vault as five weeks after his Modesto jump, while training in Hec Edmundson Pavilion in preparation for a trip to Russia, he landed badly on his neck while trampolining and was left a quadriplegic. The injury was severe enough for his doctors to be concerned for his survival.
In 1996, in a successful intervention to improve his quality of life he underwent surgery in Germany, performed by Dr. Harry Goldsmith. The operation on his spinal cord has allowed Sternberg to breathe deeper and easier, to speak more clearly and in greater volume and to remain upright for longer periods which has had the effect of improving his feeling of well being.